Seat belt retractors are conventionally comprised of a belt reel which is rotatably mounted on a frame so that the belt is wound and unwound from the reel upon reel rotation. Furthermore, such retractors conventionally include a locking mechanism which is comprised of a sprocket carried by the reel and engageable by pawl teeth suitably associated with the frame.
In one type of such a locking mechanism, the pawl is pivotally mounted on the frame and is selectively moved into engagement with the sprocket by a pendulum or other sensing device. One example of this type retractor is shown in Fohl U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,496. In other retractors the reel is mounted on the frame in a manner which permits bodily shifting movement of the reel to carry the reel into engagement with locking teeth provided either on the frame itself or on a pawl mounted on the frame. Examples of this type locking device are shown in Peters U.S. Pat. No. 3,695,545 and Jahn U.S. Pat. No. 4,228,968.